Improvement in connecting-rod couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM S. DODGE, OF LOOKPOR'I, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO J. IV. DO'IY.

IMPROVEMENT IN CONNECTING-ROD COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,512, dated December12, 1865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HIRAM S. DODGE, of thetown of Lockport, county of Niagara and State of New York, have inventeda new and Improved Pitman or Hinge; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

The nature of my invention relates to that class that it may be appliedto various uses when a connecting-rod or pitman is required, as inreapers and mowers, saw-mills, and other kinds of machinery 5 also, forhinges that may be applied to gates, doors, and other uses.

Great difficulty has been heretofore encoun tered by those usingmachinery when a pitman is required by its getting loose at the pointot' vibration, at which time there is great danger of serious damage toitself and other parts of the machinery in consequence thereof'. It hastherefore long been the great desideratum of inventors and those usin gmachinery to devise some means to obviate the diiiiculty heretoforeexperienced in consequence of the imperfect means employed inconstructing or reducing a revolving or vibratory to alongitudinalmotion.

It is believed that by my invention all the difficulties existingin theoperation of machinery when a connecting-rod is used is obviated andovercome in a manner as to render it perfect and safe in its operation,it being so constructed, in acheap and simple manner, so that when itwears by long and severe usage it may be readily tightened.

To enable others skilled in the art to make i and use my invention, Iwill proceed t0 describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 is a top-plan view as attached to the cutter-bar of a mower.Fig. 2 isa side plan view of same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of cutters.

Fig. et is atransversesectioual view taken from the line .t

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

O represents the body of my improved pitman, which may be made of eitheriron or steel, and is forked at a suitable and convenient distance fromwhere it is designed to connect with the work or resistance.

rlhe arms or straps I are spread to a distance sufficient to admit thebar or Whatever it may be applied, whether it be the eye of a hinge orthe cutter-bar of a mower, and is secured thereto by means of twoconical points, D, made ot' steel and fitted to the eye in the bar.

The arms or straps l are made so as to allow them to be sprung together,thus bringing the conical points snugly together in their places in theeye H of the strap or bar B, where they are firmly held in their placesby means of a scre\v-bolt, E, and nut F.

G is a latch used to hold the nut on the screwbolt E in any desiredposition, so that it may not work loose while the pit-man is inoperation.

By this cheap and simple device the pitman may safely run with anydesired speed Without danger of becoming loose and out ot' order.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The connecting-rod coupling composed ot' the springjaws or straps I,provided with conical pintles D I), fitting into corresponding sockets HH in the strap or bar B, the adjusting-bolt Eand latch G, allconstructed and arranged and applied as herein described.

HIRAM S. DODGE.

Witnesses SAML. SWARTZ, E. A. HoLT.

